May 26, 2007 5 min read

CINCINNATI (AP) – No one could keep up with it, let alone explain it. Not the Pittsburgh Pirates, who pulled off their biggest inning in nearly three years for a slump-busting win. And certainly not the Cincinnati Reds, who are regularly doing things that no one has seen in a long time.

Ronny Paulino’s bases-loaded double highlighted an eight-run splurge in the 10th inning Friday night, setting up a 10-4 victory that left everyone a little numb.

“It’s a strange game,” said Xavier Nady, who singled home a run during the rally. “Everybody here has been struggling.”

The Pirates had lost five in a row largely because they couldn’t get a hit with the bases loaded. They finally broke out against a team that has mastered late-game mayhem.

The Pirates overcame Ken Griffey Jr.’s 574th career homer by sending 12 batters to the plate in the 10th inning and repeatedly delivering with the bases loaded. While getting swept in a three-game series at St. Louis, the Pirates loaded the bases four times and got only one hit.

Once they got going Friday, they weren’t about to stop.

Chris Duffy’s sacrifice fly off closer David Weathers (1-3) snapped a 2-all tie and started the latest failure by one of the NL’s worst bullpens. The Reds fell to 0-9 when the score is tied after seven innings.

“Duffy’s sacrifice fly,” Paulino said, when asked to pick the most important moment. “As soon as we got ahead, we just kept hitting the ball and scoring runs.”

Weathers gave up a run-scoring double by Freddy Sanchez and later hit Jason Bay with the bases loaded to force in the third run, bringing loud boos from the crowd of 36,455 that has seen such meltdowns many times.

When he reached the bench, Weathers angrily threw his glove and cap, showing a frustration shared by all.

“We’re doing things I’ve never seen a team do,” Reds first baseman Scott Hatteberg said.

Paulino provided the clinching hit, a two-run double off Brad Salmon that left Reds players walking around on the field with their heads down. It was Pirates’ biggest inning since they scored nine runs at Montreal on July 9, 2004.

“I wish I could explain it,” Pittsburgh manager Jim Tracy said.

Jonah Bayliss (4-2) retired the two batters he faced in the ninth to get the win.

Cincinnati has lost 18 of 22, leaving the Reds with the major leagues’ worst record at 18-31. The latest loss left everyone at a loss for what to do next.

“Giving up that many runs there is hard to believe,” manager Jerry Narron said. “But over the last couple of weeks, I’ve seen a lot of things that I couldn’t believe, and I’ve been in this game a long time.

“I’ve talked to them a few times. I’ve patted them on the back. I’ve kicked them in the rear. You’ve got to get it done on the field.”

Griffey moved ahead of Harmon Killebrew for eighth place on the career home run list with a solo shot in the sixth inning off Paul Maholm. Griffey has 10 homers in May, the most by any major leaguer. Brandon Phillips followed Griffey’s homer with one of his own, tying it at 2.

Jason Bay and Nady hit solo homers off Aaron Harang, who allowed only five hits in eight innings but lost.

“If you dwell on it, you make it worse,” Harang said. “We have to go out and do the small things and hope somebody finds a horseshoe in the clubhouse.”

Bay’s homer in the second inning was his 12th at Great American Ball Park, tying Aramis Ramirez for second-most by a visiting player. Houston’s Lance Berkman has 15.

Nady’s homer provided an upbeat moment at a ballpark where he had one of his most embarrassing plays the last time around. During a wintery 7-5 loss to the Reds on April 7, Nady let Adam Dunn’s wind-blown fly ball deflect off his glove and into the right field stands for a decisive two-run homer.

NOTES: Maholm was the 366th pitcher to allow a homer by Griffey. … Pirates C Ryan Doumit was hit in the back of the head by Ryan Freel’s swing in the third inning. Doumit grounded out in the fourth, then left the game with dizziness and was taken to a hospital for a precautionary test that was negative. He’s not expected to play on Saturday. … It was the biggest inning against the Reds since the Dodgers scored 10 on May 6, 2005, at Great American. … LHP Eddie Guardado threw about 30 pitches to Reds batters before the game without problem. If his surgically rebuilt left elbow is fine in the next couple of days, he’ll make his first rehab appearance Monday at Class-A Dayton. … Reds OF Josh Hamilton felt well enough to resume working out. He went on the 15-day DL four days earlier with an inflamed digestive tract.